Big West Conference

After leading No. 2 UC Irvine to a pair of wins over No. 5 USC, Nolan Flexen has been named Big West Offensive Player of the Week. This marks Flexen’s second such honor, also winning the award back on Jan. 27.  

In another installment of a historically intense rivalry, the Anteaters won Wednesday’s first meeting last week 28-26 in the fifth set. Flexen went for seven kills (7-0-9) in the fifth frame and as UCI fought off eight match points, with two of Flexen’s kills extending the match.  

At the end of the night, the senior outside hitter led the Anteaters with a first career double-double with a career-high 27 kills and 12 digs, all while hitting .420 with just six errors in 50 swings. Flexen also contributed had five blocks and an ace in the marathon match.  

In the second contest in Los Angeles, the native of Rio Rancho, N.M., led UCI once again with 14 kills on .346 hitting to go along with five digs and a block in the tidy sweep.  

With the big offensive output against the Trojans, Flexen upped the season average to 4.37 kills per set, good for third in the nation, and 5.10 points per set to rank in a tie for fourth.